Catching Up
by redrider6612
Summary: One shot about the 'catching up' Angela told Brennan she needed to do at the beginning of season 3


**A/N: I was watching the season 3 premier yesterday and got the idea for this little one shot. This is dedicated to my best bud, jerseybones, who betaed this for me. You ROCK sweetie! The shirtless Booth is just for you!**

Angela was at her desk, working on a sketch of their latest John Doe. She was so absorbed in her work she didn't know she wasn't alone until her office door clicked shut behind her visitor. She jumped.

"Ange, you've got to tell me what to do." Brennan's voice was a bit frantic.

Angela raised her brows. "About what?"

Her friend started pacing in front of her desk, twisting her hands together. "Well, remember you said that thing about catching up to my reality?"

Searching her memory, Angela smiled. _At last!_ "Yes?"

"Well, I think it happened. Today. I mean, I'm sure it was more gradual than that, but today I suddenly realized…I think I'm attracted to Booth."

_Yes!_ "Sweetie, why don't you sit down and tell me," Angela suggested far more calmly than she felt. The pacing was getting old fast.

Brennan stopped suddenly and gave her a wild look, almost like she had forgotten Angela was there. A moment later she dropped into the chair. "Tell me what to do. I'm no good at this heart…stuff." Angela couldn't remember ever seeing her friend so agitated.

"Will you calm down? It isn't the end of the world."

Her friend groaned and dropped her face into her hands, muffling her next words. "How can you say that? How am I supposed to act around him?" At least, that's what Angela thought she said.

"What happened to compartmentalizing?"

That brought her face up and Angela nearly crowed at the naked panic on her face.

"I've tried! I can manage for awhile, then he looks at me or smiles that damn smile and…." She trailed off, obviously bewildered by her inability to keep her feelings for her partner locked away where they had been for the past few years.

Angela was exerting all of her self control to stay in her seat when she really wanted to get up and do the most cut-loose happy dance of her life. Her lips twitched with the effort of containing a face-splitting grin.

"Listen carefully, sweetie. Here's what you have to do—"

Brennan leaned forward, eyes intent on her face and Angela almost grinned.

"Tell him."

Brennan sat back, spine ramrod straight. "What? That's your solution? That would only make it worse. What if he doesn't feel the same way? Can you imagine how awkward things would be between us?"

"You just said things are awkward. It can't get any worse, can it?"

She had no reply to that. Angela stayed silent, excitement growing as she watched the thoughts race across her friend's face.

Finally Brennan spoke. "What if he doesn't feel the same way? I don't want to lose his friendship."

Angela allowed a tiny smile to curve her lips. "Oh, trust me, he feels the same way. I think he's been waiting for you to catch up too."

When Brennan was gone, Angela jumped up and let go. Anyone passing by her office would have thought she had lost her mind, but she didn't care. She was celebrating.

Brennan wanted to wait for the weekend, so if things went badly there would be a day or two to recover. Booth got irritated when she asked him about his weekend plans for the fourth time.

"Why are you so interested in my weekend?"

She blushed. "I'm sorry. I'm just curious. This case has me rattled."

He gave her an odd look. "O—kay, I don't see why. It's no different than a lot of others we've had."

She looked away and he became even more perplexed. "What's with you, Bones? You've been jumpy as hell all week."

"Me?" she squeaked. "I'm fine. Can't your partner ask about your weekend? Isn't this how coworkers bond?"

Booth rolled his eyes. "Yeah, but you've never been this interested in my weekend plans."

She forced a casual shrug. "I'm just trying to be more social. If you don't want to share your weekend plans, it's no big deal."

Booth smiled. "It's okay, I don't mind. It's just a little weird."

Brennan changed the subject and Booth soon forgot about it.

Saturday morning bright and early, Brennan lifted her hand to knock at Booth's front door but stopped short of connecting. Maybe she should have called first. She shifted from foot to foot, hands clasped, struggling with indecisiveness. She wanted to get it over with early, just in case it went badly. Her own cowardice had prevented her from showing up last night, or they would have already talked and today she would already know.

She lifted her hand again to knock and the door suddenly opened. Booth stood there in his pajama bottoms, hair standing on end, eyes wide and startled. They stared at each other for a long, shocked moment.

"Bones! What's wrong?"

She closed her mouth with a snap, swallowing hard against the dryness. "Nothing," she finally managed to say.

He frowned, looking up and down the corridor. "What are you doing here? It's six a.m."

"I—I know, and I should have called, but I needed to talk to you, and I was afraid if I called first, I'd lose my nerve, and things would only get worse, and I really need to talk to you before it gets too hard—" she said, talking so fast Booth squinted at her, trying to keep up. She stuttered to a stop as his state of dress—or undress, as the case may be—sank in. "Do you want to get dressed?" she asked desperately. His chest was really well developed, and his abdominals were quite…distracting.

His frown deepened. "No! You show up at my door this early on a Saturday with no warning, you can just deal." He bent down and picked up his newspaper, then turned and padded into the kitchen, leaving her to come in and close the door.

Without asking, he poured two cups of coffee and carried them into the living room. By then Brennan had calmed a bit and put her thoughts into some kind of order. Then the sight of his naked chest sent her thoughts back into chaos.

She sat in the chair he indicated and clutched her cup, staring into the dark liquid like she'd find her answers there. Booth sat back and sipped at his coffee, watching her curiously. When it seemed she wasn't going to speak first, he decided it was up to him.

"Tell me what's wrong, Bones."

Her wide eyes darted up and her mouth hung open. "Nothing."

He just looked at her and she sighed. _Might as well get it over with._ "I—I wanted to tell you…I mean, you should know that I…" she stammered and stopped when she made the mistake of looking into those warm, caring brown eyes. Tearing away, she lifted her cup and took a fortifying sip. Resolutely fastening her gaze on a point on the wall behind his left shoulder, she went on. "My feelings for you are not very partner-like any more." Relief poured through her, unburdened at last. Now she just needed to get through his reaction.

The silence was so complete, Brennan could hear the coffee maker sigh in the kitchen. She finally dared a look at him. He looked stunned. _Was that good or bad?_ She didn't know. She was hopeless when it came to this.

"Say something," she finally said huskily.

He swallowed hard and leaned forward to put his cup on the coffee table. "I'm not sure what to say…I mean, I've dreamed of this, but I wasn't sure you'd ever—what brought this on?"

"Angela said once that I needed to catch up to reality. For a long time, I didn't know what she meant, but then the other day it just—" she trailed off as she realized what he'd said. "You dreamed of this?"

Suddenly he got up and took her cup from her, setting it on the table. Then he pulled her up and into his arms. Startled beyond words, all she could do was clutch at his shoulders as her world slipped on its axis.

Holding her to him tightly with one arm, he reached up to touch her cheek tenderly. He cocked a grin at the deer-in-the-headlights look in her eyes. "About damn time," he whispered. His eyes dropped to her lips a moment before he leaned down to kiss her softly.

Her knees nearly buckled at the first tender touch of his lips. A soft groan shuddered through her as her breathing hitched and her heart rate doubled. Her arms slipped up around his neck, her fingers threading up into the hair at his nape. He angled his head, opening up to the urging of her tongue, groaning when she eagerly took advantage, exploring his mouth thoroughly.

Pulling her tighter against him, he slid his other hand down her back and over her ass, stopping to squeeze gently. She groaned and strained against him like she wanted to climb into his skin and Booth nearly dropped to the floor right there.

At the brink of saying the hell with waiting, Brennan broke the kiss. He opened his eyes to find her looking up at him in amazement, flushed and breathing raggedly.

"Why'd you stop?" he asked hoarsely, struggling to control his raging hormones.

"Are you going to be able to handle this?"

"Sure." She squinted doubtfully at him and he blustered on. "I mean it. If you can, I can. Compartmentalize, right?"

"It's not as easy as you think."

"How hard can it be? Keep things professional on the job…no problem. I mean, I've done it for years."

She stiffened in his arms. "Years? Exactly how long have you been waiting for me to 'catch up to reality'?"

Chuckling, he pulled her close once more. "Too long. Lately I've been giving you some harder nudges. About time you caught on." His hands were busy exploring her curves, taking advantage of her distraction.

"Nudges? What nudges?" She frowned, trying to remember specific events where he had 'nudged' her, but it was hard to concentrate. What was he doing with his hands?

"Later," he said and bent down to capture her lips once more. She shelved the discussion for the moment and shed the last of her inhibitions, giving him everything she had.

Booth's head spun as she opened her lips and plastered herself up against him. If he had known she'd be this…enthusiastic, he would have nudged her harder sooner.

THE END

**A/N: So what did you think? Click the little blue button and tell me, 'cuz you know musie loves feedback.**


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